2006 Europe Motorcycle Trip (8/25/06-9/10/06) (2,620 miles)

ADDED NEW (NOT PART OF ORIGINAL WEBPAGE):

This webpage, and all of http://www.ski-epic.com are yours to enjoy.  Feel free to use any pictures found here for any purpose you like, with or without credit.  I grant you full rights, for free, forever, to do anything you want, including redistribute the pictures with or without any credit to me.  This isn't my job, it's just my vacation website.  Enjoy!

(Read a personal description of Backblaze here.)

END OF NEW ADDITION -> now on to the original site ->

Pictures:

• Click pics_8_25_06_thru_8_30_06 - motorcycling through Switzerland and entering France.
• Click pics_8_31_06_thru_9_04_06 - motorcycling through France and Italy.
• Click pics_9_05_06_thru_9_13_06 - motorcycling through Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Amsterdam.
• Click pics_of_brian_wilson - pictures taken by BrianB, all of which contain pictures of me (BrianW).
• Click pics_9_02_06_and_9_04_06_by_rob - pictures taken by Rob Beach and Gretchen, all of which contain pictures of me (BrianW).
• Click Amsterdam_Bicycles - to see pictures of lots of bicycles in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Click Paraglider launch pad in France we found.  This is at "Col de la Forclaz" outside of the town of Talloires, France.

Background & Explanation::

This is a Beach's Motorcycle Tour led by Rob Beach, and I have been on a few of these before.  Click Europe Motorcycle Trip 2004, or Europe Motorcycle Trip 2001, or Europe Motorcycle Trip 1999.  In this case my buddy and I are doing the "Alpine Adventure West" which is just a small variant on the trips we have done before.  I arrive into Zurich, Switzerland on 8/26/06 at 10:55am.  Click here to see a list of the hotels and their address and contact info.

BMW Motorcycles, GPS, Rigging, the Gear:

Below is the BMW R12000GS I chose, and then I put on my own Garmin Rino 520 GPS (click here for more info on my GPS) and a map case on the tank.  (Click on the picture below to get a really big zoomed in version.)

The tour will rent you a GPS (I only brought my own so I didn't need to learn a new interface).  Their GPS is shown below, it is a Garmin 276C and is very nice (much faster to zoom in and out than my Rino 530).

GPS Map Files for all the Hotels

Click Gps2006EuropeHotels.zip to download a Zip file containing all the locations of the hotels on GPS.  The zip contains two redundant forms, I include both because you might be able to read one and not the other.  One is a standard "MPS" GPS file, the other is a newer "GDB" GPS file which I think is Garmin GPS specific.  I use the software "MapSource" with the "European City Navigator 8" map set to read these most accurately. You can click 2006_europe_hotels to see a list of the hotels.

Misc Maps (so I can find them later)

Click Amsterdam_Map for a map of Amsterdam City Center.  Some hotels are marked on that map.  Or click HERE for a different detailed Map of Amsterdam City Center.

A Random List of Things to Bring Updated for 2006

This isn't for you, my dear reader, but for me.  :-)  I hate forgetting some small thing (sunglasses, or a travel alarm, etc) so here is a list I keep so I can check it before I go.  But maybe you can glean something useful from it.

1. Water bottle - nice to keep a little water with you at all times on the motorbike.
2. Highlighter Pens - to mark your current day's route on the Rob Beach supplied maps (faster to read on a moving motorcycle).
3. Ziplock bags (8.5 inch by 11inch clear) - to hold maps waterproof inside tank bag map holder, this works SUPER well
4. super small umbrella - should be 5 inches long or less when closed, nice for those rainy stops
5. powerbars - get caught out too late?  Take a break, drink a little water, eat a powerbar, you might have hours before dinner.
6. Caffeine pills - add these to #4 when you are REALLY REALLY caught out too late.  No reason to lose focus, and it's not easy to find an open Starbucks Coffee at 9pm at the top of a random mountain in the Dolomites.
7. GPS - bring enough batteries to feed them
8. ATM Card and Visa and cash - no more need in Europe for any traveler's checks, just hit an ATM.
9. Euros (local) Money - optional, but convenient not to have to deal with acquiring cash immediately upon arrival
10. Passport - can't get into Europe without it
11. i18n Drivers License - silly, not really a legal document, can be bought for $10 at any AAA.  But helps smooth over problems with local police.
12. Camera, (remember the charger) - ski-epic has got to be fed!
13. Reading book - for the plane flights, and maybe a relaxing evening in your room in Switzerland
14. Voltage Converter - if you have a blow dryer or something that requires it
15. Sunglasses - for when you get off the motorcycle
16. Tinted AND Clear Visor for Motorcycle Helmet - I like having two, Rob Beach recommends just a clear visor and sunglasses but I prefer the tinted visor.
17. Totes & Totes Removal Tool - "Totes" are great, they are cheap rubber over boots that will keep your feet totally dry in a downpour.  The "Removal Tool" I refer to is a 10 inch long 1/2 inch diameter PVC pipe I bring to help get the wet Totes off my motorcycle boots (buy for $1 at any hardware store).  I slide the pipe down along the back of my leg down to my heel then "pry" and they come off quickly.
18. Travel Alarm - don't want to oversleep, or deal with hotel wakeup calls in foreign languages
19. Glasses Case - I wear contacts on the motorcycle, it is nice to have a hard protective case for my glasses so they don't get scratched in the luggage during the day when I'm not wearing them.
20. Spare Contacts, Contact Fluid - enough disposable contacts to not worry about losing one or two.
21. Garbage bags - 3 or 4 white kitchen garbage bags for dirty laundry, and for water proofing a torn rainsuit (see next item).
22. electrical & duct tape - nothing like duct tape and garbage bags to solve any water proofing problem. :-)
23. earplugs - some motorcycle riders wear them while they ride, I like them on the plane, and at night if the street outside the hotel is loud
24. swim suit - some of the hotels have hot tubs and swimming pools
25. Addresses for post-cards, if you plan to send post-cards.

The Most Important European Phrases

In an ideal world we would all know French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and Romansh (one of the languages spoken in Switzerland).  Since this isn't actually possible for anybody, there *WILL* be a country you are in that you don't speak the language, and all Europeans are very very comfortable with that situation because they themselves deal with it if they drive 200 miles in any direction (each country is *TINY*).  Half of the Europeans speak fluent English and most speak some English which is very lucky for us Americans, but if not (or to be polite), these are the 12 most useful phrases to memorize to survive in restaurants and mountain pass gift shops (I swear this is all you need, plus a smile and maybe a little sign language).  I liked Fodor's Language Guide a lot while creating this.

ADDED NEW (NOT PART OF ORIGINAL WEBPAGE):

This webpage, and all of http://www.ski-epic.com are yours to enjoy.  Feel free to use any pictures found here for any purpose you like, with or without credit.  I grant you full rights, for free, forever, to do anything you want, including redistribute the pictures with or without any credit to me.  This isn't my job, it's just my vacation website.  Enjoy!

(Read a personal description of Backblaze here.)

END OF NEW ADDITION

Return to Random Stuff

Return to Ski-Epic home page.